Come On Boys!

The Cubbies trail the Indians 2-1 in the World Series and Cleveland has regained home-field advantage, with the guarantee the series will return to Ohio for at least one game.

I refuse to succumb to the fatalism of some Chicago fans.  A Cubspocalypse is comin’.

2015 World Series: Game Two

Tonight we have Game Two of the 2015 World Series.  Last night’s 14-inning marathon began with a first-pitch, first-inning inside-the-park home run off Mets’ ace Matt Harvey.  The last time a World Series saw an inside-the-park home run was back in 1929.

Alcides Escobar’s crushing hit grabbed the heartstrings of Royals’ fan and captured the imagination of 40.6 million viewers who watched last night’s game.  There was also an infuriating 4-minute power outage and a ninth-inning solo homer by Royals’ left fielder Alex Gordon to tie the game in the ninth inning after Eric Hosmer committed a fielding error giving the Mets the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth.

In the 14th inning Hosmer walked up to the dish.  The ducks were on the pond and the Mets infield, in the fierce urgency of now, was at the edge of the infield to defend against a bases-loaded jam.  Hosmer smacked a sacrifice fly to drive in the man who started it all, Alcides Escobar, for the winning run.

GO ROYALS!

2015 World Series: Take The Crown Royals!

I don’t really have a dog in this fight, but since this is a bye week for my beloved Alabama Crimson Tide before the monster clash with the LSU Tigers, I’ll be watching the World Series and rootin’ hard for the Royals.

I’m actually a diehard Braves fan.  Having retired last year, 2015 afforded me the joy of being able to watch nearly every game on TV and enjoying a game at the Ted to watch them play the Washington Nationals.

The Mets and the Braves are in the same division, so I can’t pull for them.  That would be treasonous.  So…

GO ROYALS!

The Greatest Catcher Of All Time: “The Eternal Yankee” Yogi Berra Has Died

I grew up in a time when there existed real heroes in the world—people you could earnestly look up to—who were an inspiration.

The world has lost such a hero today.  News broke early this morning that baseball Hall of Famer Yogi Berra passed away at the age of 90.  I am deeply saddened.  I loved Yogi.  Hell, everybody loved Yogi.

As a young girl, Saturday afternoons were spent with my dad watching baseball legends like Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Phil Rizzutto and Whitey Ford.  Those games were called by LA Dodgers HOFer Pee Wee Reese and St. Louis Browns’ HOFer Dizzy Dean.

No. 8 was behind the plate in the 1956 World Series as Yankee pitcher Don Larsen pitched a perfect game.  Berra leaped into Larsen’s arms after the final pitch—the moment was captured on film for all time.

Berra was behind the plate when the umpire called Jackie Robinson safe when he tried to steal home in the 1955 World Series.  Yogi knew he was out and gave the ump an earful.

The 2015 regular season for baseball is drawing to a sad close with Yogi’s passing.  No.8 is joining “The Boys of Summer” in heaven. Rest in peace Yogi.  You were the greatest.

Yogi’s wife Carmen once asked him, “Yogi, you are from St. Louis.  We live and New Jersey and you play ball in New York.  If you go before I do, where would you like me to have you buried?”  Yogi answered, “Surprise me.”

A comprehensive obituary for Yogi can be found at The New York Times.

That’s What America Means To Me

I’ve been a witness to history just as you have.  America has been the noblest country the world has ever known and nothing the other side says will ever persuade me to change my mind.

The greatest generation liberated Europe in the Second World War, we sent a man to the moon, we led the Industrial Revolution and ten days after the attacks of 9/11 when the nation was so terribly sad, my beloved Atlanta Braves played the New York Mets in Shea Stadium in the first public event after the attacks.  The stadium was still being used as a triage center.

After Marc Anthony sang “The Star Spangled Banner” the rival teams, standing on the first base and third base lines, crossed the diamond to hug each and shake hands. Everyone was rooting for the Mets to win as a symbol of the nation’s resilience.

For game three of the 2001 World Series, President George W. Bush walked ramrod-straight onto the field of Yankee Stadium and threw out the first pitch.  His pitch was a perfect strike.  The crowd erupted into chants of “USA, USA, USA.”

The city of New York had been reduced to rubble, but the crowd swelled with national pride.  If baseball could carry on, then so could we.  Watching President Bush toss that ball gave me a lump in my throat and every, and I mean every time I hear the national anthem I get a lump in my throat.

A “Gibraltar in cleats”, Lou Gehrig, on July 4, 1939 gave his farewell speech to baseball in Yankee Stadium—a place dedicated to the courage of men.  Seventy-six years ago, with tears streaming down his face, Gehrig humbly told 61,808 fans in the bleachers that he had been forced to retire due to ALS.

We are the country that authored the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and we’ve had more than our fair share of heroes. 

This July Fourth I will ignore the people in the beltway with abscessed hearts who try desperately to divide us.  I am going to remember what America means to me.  Come Monday, I will take up the fight again.

On this most American of holidays, I will dwell in a happy place and enjoy the most American of things:  baseball, apple pie and Independence Day.

I wish you all a safe and happy Fourth of July.  God bless America.

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

When I was a young girl and television was broadcast in black and white, I remember joining my dad in the living room to watch the New York Yankees play. I became enamored with the game and players like Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Roger Maris, Tony Kubek, Mel Stottlemeyer and Mickey Mantle.  The games were called by LA Dodgers HOFer Pee Wee Reese and St. Louis Browns’ HOFer Dizzy Dean on NBC and by Pee Wee and Curt Gowdy on CBS.  My dad would always laugh when ‘ol Dizzy would say, “He slud into third.”

According to club chronology, the Boston Beaneaters changed their name to the Braves in 1907.  The Braves played their first game in Milwaukee in 1953.  Their first season in Atlanta was 1966.  They played in what was arguably the worst-kept field in baseball—Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium—where, in 1971, “Hammerin’ Hank” Aaron hit his 600th homerun.  Just three years later, he broke the Babe’s homerun record by smashing No. 715 off Dodgers’ lefty Al Downing.

Throughout the 1970’s and 80’s the Braves were pretty much the worst team in baseball, but when Ted Turner decided to buy the team in 1976 he began broadcasting the Braves’ game on TBS and after a while the Braves became known as America’s Team garnering fans everywhere as Pete Van Wieren, Skip Caray, and Joe Simpson called the games. 

The Braves made history in 1991 after going from worst to first to reach the World Series.  I never forgave the Twins’ Kent Hrbek for his thug play at first base in game two.  It was a highly controversial play in which Hrbek grabbed Ron Gant’s leg and pulled him off the base.  The call by umpire Drew Coble was ranked as one of the Top Ten Worst baseball calls by both ESPN and Sports Illustrated.  I know what you’re thinkin’.  You’re thinkin’ I’m biased in favor of my boys, but I challenge you to watch the video.  Even announcers Tim McCarver and Jack Buck knew it was a bad call and said so on air.

The Braves went on to play in the 1992 World Series losing to the Toronto Blue Jays, but, but there was yet another chance for glory in 1995 as World Series Champions against the Cleveland Indians.

I had me some kind of a serious crush on Steve Avery, Atlanta’s young pitching phenom.  There was also Smoltzie and Maddux and Glavine whom I adored.  Hell, I loved all those guys.

And so it was for 30 years until the advent of ESPN when ratings began to plummet and Turner ended the affiliation between TBS and the Braves.

I had been on the road with my employer from 2002 until 2007 and it was a joy to be able to tune into a game and wash away the dreck of the day.  When I came off the road, I was working the night shift, usually 1 to 9:30 PM or 2 to 10:30 PM and wasn’t able to follow the boys from Atlanta.

Now that I am retired, I can sit back with my furkid Sophie and enjoy Braves baseball once again, not on TBS but on Fox Sports South and Sports South.  Old friend Joe Simpson is still calling the games.  Though Skip Caray has joined dad Harry Caray in the broadcast booth in Heaven, son Chip Caray is in the booth with Joe and occasionally former pitcher Tom Glavine will join them.

Things change over the years as they always do.  The Braves in conjunction with Sun Trust Bank are building a new stadium in Cobb County, Georgia.  It will be incredibly easier to get to the park there than in downtown Hotlanta.  I’m looking forward to that.

I’m planning on visiting my friend again next week and the following week I will be at the Ted (Turner Field) to watch my boys beat Charles Krauthammer’s beloved Washington Nationals.  If you watch the games, look for me behind the Braves dugout, chanting the war chant and tomahawk choppin’ with the best of ‘em and during the 7th-inning stretch when it’s time to sing “Take Me Out To The Ball Game” I’ll be the one singing the loudest.  I should be easy to pick out from the crowd.  I’ll be wearing a home jersey, Braves ball cap and I’ll have a beer in my hand.

I’ll get to the stadium a couple of hours early to watch batting practice and get some autographs to add to my other Braves memorabilia  Look out Dr. Krauthammer, your Nats are going to lose.